Poinsettia plant named ‘Fiscor Dark Red’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ characterized by having dark-red bract color; medium-sized, almost flat inflorescence with weakly lobed bracts; intense dark-green foliage with slight dentation; compact and wide, lowly molded plant habit; medium to late flowering response; and relatively good keeping quality of bracts and foliage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofpoinsettia plant known by the cultivar name ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ andbotanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

‘Fiscor Dark Red’ is a product of a mutation induction program carriedout by the inventor, Katharina Zerr, in Hillscheid, Germany, in 1994.The primary objective of the induction program was to expand the bractcolor ranges of ‘Fiscor’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,364). ‘Fiscor’ ischaracterized by its relatively dark red-colored bracts, dark-greenfoliage and comparatively compact plant habit.

The irradiation program comprised exposing rooted cuttings taken fromplants of the parent cultivar to an X-ray source of 30 Gy dosage inAhrensburg, Germany, under the supervision of the inventor. Theirradiated plants were grown out in a greenhouse in Hillscheid, Germany,and were asexually propagated by the inventor by taking cuttings. Theplants resulting from these cuttings were screened for mutations assmall, flowering, single-stem plants beginning in fall of 1994. Themutations discovered were identified by numbers. Parts of plantsexhibiting a mutation of interest were left to develop vegetative shootswhich were used as cuttings and grown out.

‘Fiscor Dark Red’ originated from a single plant (no. 222) having adistinctly darker-red bract color, which was discovered in the spring of1995. This plant, which appeared to be completely mutated, waspropagated vegetatively by taking cuttings, and the off-spring werescreened for uniformity in the spring of 1996 prior to furtherpropagation. The clone was examined more closely in autumn of 1997, andagain in the late summer and autumn of 1998 in Hillscheid, Germany.Horticultural examination of the clone starting in 1997 and continuingthereafter has confirmed that the combination of characteristics asherein disclosed for ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ are firmly fixed and retainedthrough successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ which in combinationdistinguish this Poinsettia as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Dark-red bract color;

2. Medium-sized, almost flat inflorescence with weakly lobed bracts;

3. Intense dark-green foliage with slight dentation;

4. Compact and wide, lowly molded plant habit;

5. Medium to late flowering response; and

6. Relatively good keeping quality of bracts and foliage.

‘Fiscor Dark Red’ has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength withoutany change in genotype. The following observations, measurements andcomparisons describe plants grown in Langley, British Columbia, Canada,under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used incommercial practice.

Of the many commercial cultivars known to the inventor, the most similarin comparison to ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ are the parent cultivar ‘Fiscor’ andthe co-pending cultivar ‘Fisson Dark Red’ (U.S. Plant patent applicationSer. No. 09/496,459). In comparison to ‘Fiscor’, ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ has aconsiderably darker red bract color, slightly narrower bracts andleaves, and even more intense anthocyanin coloration of stems andpetioles.

In comparison to ‘Fisson Dark Red’, ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ has differentlyshaped inflorescence with flat, not folded, and relativelysmooth-surfaced bracts. ‘Fiscor Dark Red’ has a wider but shorter planthabit than ‘Fisson Dark Red’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color photographic illustration shows typicalinflorescence and foliage of a mature potted plant of ‘Fiscor Dark Red’,with colors being as true as possible with illustrations of this type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The plants described were grown in a greenhouse in Langley, BritishColumbis, Canada, in the fall of 1998. Rooted cuttings were planted into15-cm pots (in diameter) on August 10, and were pinched on August 20,leaving 8 nodes. The minimum temperature was 23° C. until October 10,20° C. to mid-November, and lower thereafter. The plants initiatedflowers under natural short-day conditions in the fall. The followingmeasurements were made on Nov. 24-25, 1998, 15 weeks after planting ofrooting cuttings. Additional observations were made in Hillscheid,Germany, in early December using 17 week old plants of similar size.

Observations and measurements were mainly taken at the beginning offlowering. In the following description, color references are made toThe Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Color Chart. The color valueswere determined indoors in a north light.

Classification:

Botanical.—Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Commercial.—Poinsettia cv. Fiscor Dark Red.

Parentage: Induced mutation of ‘Fiscor’.

Plant:

Form.—Shrub, self-branching.

Growth habit.—Moderately compact under natural short-day conditions inthe fall, weak to medium growth, pinched plants are bushy and round inshape.

Height (including 12 cm high pot).—Approximately 40.3 cm.

Width.—51.0 cm.

Average number of branches.—10.3.

Stem color.—Brownish-purple, approximately RHS 184A, caused by verystrong infusion of anthocyanin.

Peduncle.—Light green to green, RHS 143A to RHS 143B, about 6 mm long.

Rooting.—Medium, sufficiently rooted for transplanting after about 20days in a greenhouse at a temperature of 22-24° C.

Blooming habit.—Flowering response time under natural short dayconditions in autumn: botanically (cyathia open)— in early December;commercially (bracts colored, marketable)— in early December.

Flowering response time.—About 10 weeks.

Foliage:

Shape.—Ovate with acute to rounded base, acuminate tip.

Margin.—Entire, with irregular crenation in parts.

Texture.—Upper surface: Smooth, flat and only weakly veined; color ofveins is about RHS 180A or lighter; the basal part of the midrib has analmost similar dark-red coloring as the petiole. Lower surface: Flat andsmooth except for the slightly protruding midrib and finer side veins,which are arranged in a pinnate pattern. The vein color is light-green,RHS 145B; the basal part of the midrib has a weak infusion ofanthocyanin.

Size.—Leaf blade length is 12.2 cm; leaf blade width is 7.5 cm; petiolelength is 7.5 cm.

Color.—Generally a uniform dark-green. Mature foliage: Upper surface isRHS 139A. Under surface is RHS 137A-B. New foliage: Upper side is aboutRHS 143A. Under side is about RHS 137D.

Petiole color.—Dark-red, RHS 53A to RHS 185A.

Aspect.—Petioles and leaves are horizontally directed.

Disease resistance.—Typical, no special observations made.

Flowering description:

Whole inflorescence.—Almost flat and horizontally directed, with thebracts in a slightly overlapping arrangement.

Keeping quality of the bracts.—Relatively good.

Diameter of inflorescence.—23 cm.

Number of bracts per inflorescence.—8-11 bracts (with a length over 2cm).

Size of bract.—Largest true bract is 12.7 cm long and 9.3 cm wide;petiole is 2.0 cm.

Bract shape.—Ovate with rounded to acute base, acuminate tip, and weakdentation; the smaller, younger bracts are elliptically shaped andusually without lobes.

Bract texture.—Flat and only slightly rugose; the pattern of the veinsis the same as that of the leaves. The veins are hardly visible on theupper surface and their color corresponds to the bract color or appearsslightly darker, while the veins on the lower surface usually lighter;pink, about RHS 46D.

Bract color.—Generally a uniform dark-red, without tendency to fadingnear the margin, nor at high temperature. Upper surface: Near RHS 46A-B,the younger bracts are RHS 46A. Lower surface: RHS 46B.

Secondary bract.—Elliptical shape, acute base, weak or no development oflobes, upper surface between Near RHS 46A-B, lower surface RHS 46B;largest secondary bract 12.7 cm long, next largest secondary bract 9 cmlong and 5.5-6 cm wide.

Petiole color.—Reddish, about RHS 46A-B.

Cyme.—About 20-25 mm wide, few cyathia, about 10 in a narrow cluster.Diameter of a single cyathium: 5-6 mm. Color: Mainly light to mediumgreen, RHS 143B; the top has a small, star-shaped pattern, red, RHS46A-B. Retention: Average. Nectar Cups: Usually one nectar cup percyathium, small to medium sized, 4-5 mm diameter, 4 mm length, goldenyellow, RHS 12A, anthocyanin coloring may occur near the margin,orange-red near RHS 40 A.

Reproductive organs:

Stamens.—Approximately 20 in a cluster, dark-red filaments, RHS 46A,fertile, yellow pollen, RHS 8 A.

Pistils.—One pistil per cyathium, style and stigma are dark-red, nearRHS 46A; 6-lobed stigma, trifuracte.

Ovaries.—Triangular, 3 ovules.

Fruit/seed set: No observations made.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct poinsettia plant named ‘Fiscor Dark Red’,substantially as illustrated and described.